The judge in the trial of Donald Trump and his 14 co-defendants in Georgia for illegal attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election in the key state threw out several secondary charges on Wednesday.
This decision by Judge Scott McAfee comes as he must rule this week on the request for withdrawal from the prosecutor who is investigating this case, Fani Willis, the defendants invoking a conflict of interest due to her intimate relationship with an investigator whom she engaged in this matter.
The judge on Wednesday granted part of the defendants’ requests to cancel some of the 41 charges contained in the indictment issued on August 14, notably under a law in Georgia (southeast) on crime in an organized group.
The six canceled charges, relating to acts of inciting elected officials to violate their oath, “are not sufficiently detailed” and therefore do not provide “the defendants with enough information to intelligently prepare their defense”, concludes -he.
However, he rejects their appeal concerning other charges.
Possible postponement of trial
During a last hearing on 1er March on the prosecutor’s request for withdrawal, Judge McAfee indicated his intention to render a decision within the next two weeks.
If he concluded that there was a conflict of interest justifying a withdrawal, this would further postpone the holding of this trial, for which no date has been set.
Four of the 19 people initially prosecuted in this case have already pleaded guilty. They were sentenced to reduced sentences, without prison time, in exchange for their testimony at the future trial of the other defendants.
Targeted by four separate criminal proceedings, former President Trump, assured of being the Republican candidate in the November election against the outgoing Democratic President, Joe Biden, is seeking through his multiple appeals to go to trial as late as possible, in any case after the election.